Extraction
by Kennie Barton
Summary: Percy Jackson has once again been removed from his life in Manhattan to do the bidding of an Olympian. When he wakes up in a strange place with his best friends, Grover and Annabeth, they have to not only discover why they were sent but protect a pair of half-blood children who are being targeted and get them safely back to camp. A PJO One Shot set some time after the end of BOO


It smelled like a combination of deep fried chicken and kettle corn popcorn, mingling with the scent of people and new car smell. There were more, smells he could not identify or refused to name. He was cold, his nose tickled from the icy air, and he was on concrete.  
Percy opened his eyes, looking around to try and figure out what had happened. He had no idea where he was, again.  
The gods just loved messing with him. "I have a quest," they seemed to say, "I know, let's send Percy Jackson."  
It was the third time he'd been sent somewhere when he did not want to go, or consent to going to. It was the third time he'd been ripped from his life to appease a god who most likely wanted him dead every other day of the year. At least he this time he had not lost months of his life, or so he hoped. He seriously doubted his mother would take that kind of stress well for a second time. And it was Saturday, so he was not missing school.  
Well, he hoped it was still Saturday and he had not missed school. His stepfather Paul had done a lot to keep Percy at Goode High School, and Percy was only barely managing not to flunk out. Missing anymore school would be the final straw on the proverbial camel's back.  
Percy looked around trying to figure out where the Olympian had sent him. And why. He was on a concrete floor, a large slab of cold gray rock leaning against a brick pillar. Before him was the largest piece of whatever kind of equipment it was Percy had ever seen. It stood over a story tall with all the doors thrown open to reveal the inner mechanics. And there were children hanging off of it like they were playing on the monkey bars in a playground, their parents standing in small circles taking pictures and laughing.  
Where was he?  
"I smell enchiladas," on his right Grover was waking up. At least Percy was sent to this place with companions. That was a first. "And French fries," the satyr was dressed in his jeans and Rasta cap, looking like an ordinary teenager. It had been years since Percy saw his best friend pretending to be mortal, Grover had stopped that after their encounter with Pan.  
"Wake up G-man," Percy shook him gently.  
"What is that," Percy spun around quickly to see Annabeth on the floor beside him, she had on a knit cap that held her hair back from her face, and had a thick coat was spread over her lap. She was staring up at the machinery, watching in slight horror as a little girl leapt off of it. "How can her parents just let her climb up on that thing?"  
"Guys," Grover was fully awake, climbing up from his seat on the floor. "Where are we?"  
"I wish I knew," Percy stood up looking around, there were dozens of machines around them of all different sizes and shapes.  
"It's the farm show," a girl of about thirteen was leaning against the front end attachment on a small tractor. She had sandy brown hair tied up in under a ball cap and blue eyes. She had a little red wagon parked beside her filled with thick coats like the one covering Annabeth, a cooler and a bag filled with bags, handouts and magazines.  
"Farm show?" Annabeth handed Percy the coat and stood up, dusting the seat of her jeans as she did. "What farm show?"  
"The National Farm Machinery Show: largest farm show in America."  
"What state are we in?"  
"Kentucky at the Fair and Expo Center in Louisville," she slurred the city name, it sounded like 'Luhvul' to Percy. "Folks come from all over to walk around and look at stuff most of them can never afford to buy," she shrugged looking up at the machine the children were playing on. "What my dad wouldn't give for a S690 like that one."  
"How did we get at a farm show?" Grover shuffled nervously on his feet, like being so close to the farm equipment was scaring him. "And why?"  
"You just appeared there," the girl answered pushing herself off of the loader she had been sitting on. She waved at a man watching the children on the machine. He nodded and came to retrieve the wagon as the girl came closer to Percy, Grover and Annabeth. "No one else noticed it, I wouldn't have either if dad hadn't wanted to look at this new S Series by John Deere, and Tony had given up on playing on this combine," she looked back at the combine, pointing out a boy of about ten in a denim jacket and jeans who was climbing out of the cab to go climb on a tractor near his father.  
"One of them sent us," Percy whispered to Annabeth, "there must be something here we're supposed to do." He knew not to talk about the gods where people could overhear. Not only did in attract monsters, it made them look crazy.  
"Probably fight the monster in the arena," the girl looked down to see the little boy had veered her way instead of to his father.  
"There's no monster in the arena, those are the tractors for the pull tonight," the girl responded sternly.  
"Is so," Tony crossed his arms glaring up at his sister. "I saw it. It had huge red eyes and scales all over."  
"That was a tractor, dummy."  
"Was not, it looked like the Red-Eyes Black Dragon from Yu-Gi-Oh," Tony was keeping his voice low, but Percy could tell he was close to shouting. "You believe me, don't you?" the little boy turned pleading eyes on Percy.  
Percy looked over at Grover, if there was a monster Grover would be able to smell it. Grover shook his head looking back at the little boy. No monsters, his eyes seemed to say, "only half-bloods."  
"Half-bloods?" the girl asked looking around the crowded room. "You might need to be quieter with that stuff, southerners are pretty testing about that kind of thing," she whispered coming in closer to the three of them, pulling her brother along behind her. "And we're half-bloods."  
Grover's eyes widened, "I didn't mean—I'm sorry."  
Tony smiled, a large toothy grin, "They're funny Mani."  
"Shut it, we're talking," Mani pulled her brother in front of her, holding him still with her hands on his shoulders. "We see weird stuff, like the dragon in the arena."  
"You're sure there's a dragon here?" Annabeth took hold of Percy's hand, squeezing it tightly.  
"Well, I didn't see it, but Tony said he saw one. And over in the family living section there's this vampire looking woman selling fake vintage metal signs."  
"Two monsters," Annabeth turned to face Percy, "in such a crowded place?"  
"Two half-bloods, two monsters," Percy suggested shrugging. "Seems a lot fairer than what we've always faced."  
"So you're going to fight the Red-Eyes Black Dragon," Tony turned his large blue eyes up at Percy.  
Percy's mouth opened and closed twice before he could find an answer, "Yea, I'm gonna fight the dragon."  
"Sweet," Tony grinned. "See Mani, I told you mom would send someone for you."  
"And you, stupid," Mani rolled her eyes and shook her head, but she still smiled. "She sent them for you too."  
"What? Why would someone send us here?" Annabeth tried to smooth it over.  
An Olympian was forbidden from interfering with their mortal children's lives. Whoever the mother of these two was, she had not sent them. There had to be another reason for the monsters, a reason Percy, Grover and Annabeth were supposed to figure out.  
"She told us she was sending someone. Last week on Mani's birthday," Tony answered. "She said Mani was old enough to go to a special camp now, and to make sure we got there safely she was sending the very best heroes available."  
"Both of you?" Grover asked with a raised brow. "She's the one who turned thirteen."  
"But I can see the monsters too. And she said I was going with Mani."  
"He knows already," Mani covered her brother's mouth with her hand to stop him from talking. "It'll be dangerous if he stays by himself, dad can't protect him. That's why mom sent you."  
"Listen, we we're sent to take anyone anywhere," Percy started before Annabeth squeezed his hand tighter.  
"You know who your mother is?"  
"Demeter," Mani answered.  
"She gave me a green thumb," Tony held on of his thumbs up for Percy and the others to inspect. It looked like an ordinary thumb to Percy, but he knew the gifts from the gods often looked ordinary. "Mani got one too."  
"Kids," Mani and Tony's father called. He had moved into the walkway, ready to continue viewing the equipment in the hall.  
"Hold on a sec," Mani pushed her brother toward their father. "I'll be right back," she gave a brief smile to the trio and followed after her brother.  
Percy watched Mani have a small discussion with her father, Tony adding bits where he felt they needed to be added. Their father looked back Percy, Annabeth and Grover, neither of his children really looked like him, he had pale hair and a fair complexion that had suffered from years of sun exposure. The man nodded, looking back at his daughter.  
Mani ran back to them, "come on."

They wove through the crowds of people looking at the tractors, sprayers, trailers, gator, mules, ATVs, combines, trucks, bailers, caterpillars, mowers, rakes, lawnmowers and every other piece of farming equipment Percy could imagine and then some. Grover shuddered moving away from the fencing and livestock trailers, muttering about inhumane treatment and destruction of Wild places. Annabeth became caught up in the life-sized buildings in the hall, barns made of aluminum that only stretched a few feet back, silos fifteen or twenty feet tall.  
Percy was just trying to take in all in. He would never have imagined there was a show just for farm equipment. Or that so many people would go to it. Looking at the price tags, he was amazed anyone who farmed for a living could afford the stuff.  
Tony floated around between Grover and Percy asking them questions about the camp they were going to after the farm show. Would he get to stay with his sister? Where there others kids his age? Did they have lots of outdoor activities? Was there a conservation program in place at camp? That question excited Grover, who had believed that most of the farmers of the world had never cared about the planet and saving the wild.  
Mani walked next to her father, pulling the wagon again. They would say something occasionally, pointing out something in one of the exhibits. Her father seemed really distracted to Percy, he supposed he would have been too. It must be hard being a parent knowing you were spending precious time with a child you knew was about to leave, and would probably never come home again.  
They left the hall finally and entered a large food court area in a lobby. Mani's father looked at the Percy, Annabeth and Grover, wringing his hands. "Are you hungry? Have you eaten?"  
"No, sir," Annabeth answered.  
"Do you like pork chops? The Pork Producers have good chops for a fair price," he motioned to a booth with four long lines.  
"I'm a vegetarian," Grover responded.  
"I'll find something," the man smiled and moved to stand in line.  
"Sir, you don't have too," Percy hated that he was buying them lunch, and all they were going to do was take his children away.  
"No, no, it's alright. My pleasure," he smiled nodding. "Amanda, go find a table for us." Mani smiled and pulled the wagon off with Tony rolling in to ride along.  
There was a table in the center of the dining area that had enough empty seats for the six of them, the seventh seat was taken up by an old woman with a cane and a purse the size of Tony's torso. She smiled, motioning to the seats when she saw the teenagers looking for a table. Mani smiled pleasantly but continued on past her.  
"It's alright dear, these seats are empty," the woman called, patting the table in front of one of the empty seats.  
"A friend is saving us spots, thanks, ma'am," Mani rushed past the table.  
"She's the vampire lady," Tony whispered looking back at the old woman, Grover nodded.  
Her pleasant smile was gone, she was frowning after Mani and her wagon. Percy reached in his pocket for Riptide. An empousa was in the middle of a crowded room of mortals, he was ready for a fight he really hoped would not happen. Percy looked over his shoulder, the disguised empousa had moved.  
"Annabeth, do you have your knife?" his eyes scanned the crowd looking for the empousa that would be circling in on them. Her stormy eyes flashed as she too sought out the monster.  
"Yes, it's in the coat I woke up with," she answered, her hand tightening around the thick material in her grasp. "Percy, we can't fight her in here. There are too many mortals, and Mani and Tony could get hurt."  
"I know, but we may not have a choice," he answered still searching for the empousa. "You ready for a fight G-man?"  
Grover nodded, "there should be enough nature in this room for me to do some damage."  
"You're going to fight the vampire lady?" Tony looked between his sister and Percy.  
"If she attacks us," Annabeth smiled at the boy, her hand sliding into the coat for her knife. "Don't worry, we'll keep you safe."  
Tony smiled at Annabeth, then twisted around in the wagon, "Mani, we have to tell dad."  
"There's no time Tony," Mani answered weaving through the tables, waiting for it to begin. "Put your coat on, we're going outside." Tony slid into a coat that looked too big for him and zipped it just as his sister opened the door.  
The cold air buffeted Percy's face, and he realized he only had a hoodie on, the same thing he had been wearing the night before when he was doing his homework at the kitchen table. Annabeth pulled the new coat on, leaving the knife in the sleeve with the hit near her hand. They followed Mani and the red wagon along the side of the building, casting suspicious glances over their shoulders every few steps.  
"Tony get out and take the wagon," they had come to a paneled walkway. Black fence ran in both directions, the ground was covered in sawdust, a tiled roof cover it. Mani pulled the wagon in and stopped, letting her brother out. "You remember what dad said, about the stables?"  
The little boy nodded taking the handle from his sister. "You'll be there soon?"  
"As soon as I can," Mani promised tousling her brother's hair. "Now go."  
"You should probably go with him," Annabeth stopped the boy as he tried to pass. "You're not trained to fight monsters."  
In response Mani pulled a knife from her pocket, a butterfly knife that she opened with expert grace. The bronze blade gleamed in the pale winter sunlight. Mani held it loosely in her hand, the blade pointing at the ground. "My dad got it from my mom. He taught me to use it when I was a kid," she looked down at the knife in her hand. "Now I know why."  
"How long have you known that your mother was a goddess?" Grover leaned around on the supports of the roof checking for pursuit.  
"A week," Mani answered, closing her knife with the same grace she had used to open it. "Why?"  
"You seem really prepared for someone who just learned about the gods of Olympus."  
Mani shrugged, opening the knife, "I didn't. I learned about the Olympians years ago, but I never thought my mom was one of them." She sighed, closing the knife, "but dad had us learn stuff like this. Meeting places, survival skills, self defense, all that. You know, in case something ever happened."  
"He knew your mother was Demeter," Percy drew Riptide from his pocket, uncapping the pen so he was armed. "He can see through the mist, like you and your brother."  
"I think that's why he was okay with you walking with us today, he saw the monster in family living and the dragon in the arena," she opened the knife, she had not looked at it since she begin opening and closing it.  
Mani tensed, turning to look down the path, away from where Tony had gone. Percy, Annabeth and Grover turned to see the empousa walking toward them. She had reverted to her true form, her pale skin glowing in the sunlight while her fiery hair danced around her. She was still wearing the old lady clothes, which thankfully hide her mismatched legs, and muffled the sound of her uneven gait.  
"You should have just sat down, dear," she hissed coming in closer, holding her cane like a sword. "It would have made this much simpler."  
Percy and Annabeth stepped forward to fight the empousa, she grinned maliciously. "Ah, Percy Jackson, our favorite hero."  
"What do you want with her?" Annabeth challenged drawing her knife from the coat sleeve.  
"I want the boy. There are others for the girl," her eyes flickered to Mani.  
"You're not getting either of them," Percy charged, Riptide arching over his head.  
The empousa blocked his swing with her cane, hissing at him. Percy leapt back, changing tactics to allow Annabeth to come in with the knife. What he had not been expecting was Mani duck in under his arm. He was also not expecting her to dig her celestial bronze knife into the chest of the empousa. Neither was the empousa, she screeched turning to dust and mixing into the sawdust at Percy's feet.  
"We have to get these two back to camp," Grover exclaimed as Mani closed the butterfly knife again and shoving it in her pocket. "I can small more monsters coming."  
"Where did you send your brother?" Annabeth grabbed Mani's shoulder, forcing the girl to look at her.  
"This way," Mani brushed Annabeth's hand aside and started running down the track. "Our meeting place at the Expo is dad's stall in the stables."  
They ran into the stables, Mani taking the lead as they passed rows and rows of empty, dusty stalls. Mani skidding around a corner running out of one barn and into another, she grabbed a door and ran into a stall. Tony was sitting in the red wagon, a small celestial bronze pocket knife clutched tightly in his hand. He relaxed seeing it was his sister.  
"Okay," Grover looked out of the stall, keeping watch. "We've got them, how are we going to get them to camp?"  
"Didn't Demeter arrange that?" Mani was pulling on her coat from the wagon, it was identical to the one Annabeth had on.  
"If she did, she didn't tell us," Percy looked out the window in to the stall. "And we've got more trouble."  
The dragon Tony had seen in the arena was coming over the roof of the stable they had just vacated. It was huge and black and crawled over the shingled structure sniffing out the trail of the half-bloods. The huge red eyes searched blindly for his prey.  
"It's blind," Mani breathed hanging off the window frame to see out.  
"How can you tell?"  
"You're in plain sight and it looked right past you," Mani answered, her eyes looking up at Percy. "The eyes have been bleeding. You can see it on the scales."  
Looking closely Percy could see what the girl was talking about, the scales around the eyes were coating in an inky substance that dripped like paint form the scales. Something had attacked and hurt the dragon, but not enough to kill it, rendering it temporarily blind. But for how long?  
"Okay, it's blind. Now what?" Grover and Percy looked to Annabeth.  
"I don't want to kill a dragon," she started hesitantly. "They're not all bad, and this one has obviously been tormented into doing the biding of whoever is after Mani and Tony."  
"The dragon's after me. That old lady thing was after Tony."  
"She's right Annabeth. The empousa said she was only after Tony, there were others after the Mani," Percy pulled the girl away from the window as he spoke, trying to keep her out of sight. "And we know there's at least one dragon."  
Percy and Annabeth looked out the window. If they had a way to get back to camp they would not really have a problem. But Demeter had just sent them to Kentucky, and had withheld the plans to get them back to Camp Half-Blood on Long Island. If it had just been the three of them, they could have managed. But both Percy and Annabeth doubted Mani and Tony were up for the trip, even if they were both very resourceful.  
"Any ideas?" he asked Annabeth watching as the dragon crawled closer to them. She shook her head, drumming her fingers on the wooden frame.  
"It's hard enough for just three of us to travel. I don't know how we would manage with Mani and Tony."  
"Do you think Mrs. O'Leary could take all of us," Mrs. O'Leary, Percy's pet hellhound could shadow travel, reducing the travel time form Kentucky back to camp to less than ten minutes. If she could shadow travel with all five of them.  
"She could at least get the kids away," Annabeth responded moving away from the window. "And Grover to make sure they stay safe on the way."  
"We're not going until we see dad," Tony appeared between Percy and Annabeth, his blue eyes sparking dangerously as he glared between the couple. "We might never see him again."  
"If we have to go, we have to go Tony. Unless you want to die," Mani snapped at her brother.  
"He's all we've ever had Mani, you would go off without telling him goodbye?" Tony's determined glare turned on his sister.  
"He'll understand Tony. If we get to camp there's a chance we can come back," Percy could tell Mani was trying not to yell at the boy. He was still too young to really understand what was happening around them. "But if we don't leave now, we really might never see him again."  
"Percy, call for Mrs. O'Leary," Annabeth whispered quietly while Mani continued trying to explain things to Tony. "We have to get them out of here." Percy nodded and started to whistle.  
He stopped himself just in time. If he whistled he would attract the dragon's attention, along with all the other monsters in the Expo Center. He would have to find another way to call the hellhound from Camp Half-Blood. Maybe he could Iris Message someone at camp. No, there was no water, no way to create a rainbow to make the call.  
"I need a rainbow," Percy muttered looking back at the dragon.  
"I can make a rainbow," Percy turned on the thirteen year old demigod. How could she make a rainbow without water, or a prism?  
Mani pulled a knife from her pocket, not the celestial bronze one, but a second one that looked like a Swiss army knife. She pulled out one of the blades and held it out for Percy, Annabeth and Grover to see. The blade looked like the back of a CD, and reflected light on the wall. It showed a tiny rainbow on the wooden walls of the stall.  
"It'll have to work," Percy reached into his pocket for a golden drachma. "Oh goddess, hear my plea and accepting my offering," he flipped the coin at the tiny rainbow on the wall. The coin vanished into the rainbow, "Chiron at Camp Half-Blood."  
The image of Chiron was impossibly small, but he could hear, that was all that mattered. "Chiron," Annabeth called.  
"Annabeth, Percy? What's going on? I received word from Olympus this morning that you were in danger," Chiron was in his room in the Big House, listening to one of his records.  
"It's a long story Chiron," Percy answered. "But we need help. We have two half-bloods who have to get to camp. Can you send Mrs. O'Leary for them?"  
"I can do better than that, Blackjack is on his way to you as we speak. I dare say they should be there by now, they left almost three hours ago." That was about how long they had been at the farm show with Mani and Tony.  
If Blackjack was close, Percy could call him with telepathy. "How many came with him?"  
"Hermes said you would need five rides," Chiron shook his head. "But he refused to say what was happening?"  
"We've got it under control Chiron," Annabeth took over while Percy called for Blackjack. "We'll be back at camp soon."  
"Be careful, all of you."  
"We will," Annabeth smiled as a pure black pegasus swooped past the blind dragon leading four white ones.  
"It seems Demeter did have a plan," Grover moved into the stall as the pegasi entered the stables. "We were worried for nothing."  
"Speak for yourself," Percy stroked Blackjack's muzzle, explaining the situation. "Blackjack says the dragon is starting to regain his sight."  
"Then we need to go," Annabeth was lifting Tony up to set him on a pegasus. "Grover, help Mani on one."  
They mounted quickly and were ready to leave when a person entered the stables. The kids' dad, he had five pork chop sandwiches and a taco. He was breathless and dropped the food in the wagon before rushing to his children.  
"You're safe," he breathed wrapping an arm around each child as best he could while they were mounted. "I saw the dragon through the windows and thought they'd caught you."  
"We're fine dad," Mani smiled leaning down to hug her father. "They took care of us like mom said they would."  
"I know," he held his daughter close. "But I've been worried about this day for years, I couldn't stand it if something happened to either of you?"  
"We'll be fine dad," Tony wrapped his arms around his father, burying his face in his father's flannel shirt. "Mom sent them to take us there safely."  
"I know son," the man turned to his son and smiled. "And they're going to take good care of you there."  
Percy looked out the window again, seeing the dragon blinking rapidly as his vision returned. "I'm sorry but we have to go," he looked at the family. A family he was tearing apart.  
"Okay," the dad pulled away, moving to stand in the stall while the pegasi made ready to take off. "I'll see you soon."  
His children nodded to him, taking firm holds on the manes of their mounts. Tony was sniffing, trying hard not to cry. Mani removed her cap and shoved it inside her coat. She pulled a sock cap out of a pocket and pulled it down over her head. She gave on last look at her father and blew a kiss to him as Percy ordered them to move.  
The pegasi ran the length of the stables and took off into the afternoon sky. They flew close to the dragon's head, the black dragon's head following them and snapping as Grover's pegasus flew too close. They looked back at the shrinking Expo Center as they flew north, Percy tried to ignore the tears flowing from Mani's eyes and the sound of the boy's sobbing.


End file.
